This invention relates to a novel pressure sensing device. In particular, this invention relates to a pressure sensing device utilizing a polymer optical fiber with a core comprised of a flexible thermoplastic aliphatic segmented polyurethane.
Conventional electronic pressure sensors suffer from electromagnetic pickup interference. The use of optical fiber based pressure sensors eliminates the problem of electromagnetic interference. However, present optical fibers are primarily fabricated from glass or hard glassy polymers such as acrylics and styrenics. Such optical fibers possess low flexibility and low strength. Such polymer optical fibers also sometimes possess low use temperatures. These limitations of the present optical fibers result in optical fiber based pressure sensors which are easily damaged.
What is needed is a durable pressure sensor which is immune to electromagnetic inerference.